Parents of slain girl beg French politicians not to exploit their daughter's death

A 24-year-old woman from Algeria with a history of psychiatric disorders has been charged with the rape and murder last week of the 12-year-old girl, identified only as "Lola", France 24 reports.

Investigators have established that the woman had overstayed a student visa and had failed to comply with a notice issued in August to leave France within 30 days.

Conservative and far-right parties have used the case to accuse President Emmanuel Macron's government of failing to enforce immigration laws, arguing the strict application of deportation orders could have prevented the murder.

But her parents, who met with Macron earlier on October 21 pleaded with politicians to stop exploiting their daughter's murder, after her photo was displayed at a far-right demonstration in Paris the day before.

In a statement sent to AFP on October 21, they called for an immediate end to "any use of the name and image of their child for political ends" so they could "honour the memory of their child in peace, respect and dignity".

Photos and drawings of the girl have been posted widely across social media, with far-right activists using the case to berate the government over its record on illegal immigrants.